rimraf is a cross-platform Node.js utility that provides functionality equivalent to the Unix rm -rf command for recursively deleting files and directories. The library is designed to reliably remove deeply nested directory trees across operating systems, including Windows environments where native deletion behavior can be inconsistent. It exposes both programmatic and CLI interfaces, making it suitable for build scripts, cleanup tasks, and automation workflows. rimraf includes multiple removal strategies and fallbacks to handle filesystem edge cases such as locked files or permission issues. The tool emphasizes aggressive and complete deletion, which is why its documentation strongly warns against passing untrusted input. Overall, rimraf remains one of the most widely used cleanup utilities in the Node.js ecosystem.
Features
- Recursive file and directory deletion
- Cross-platform rm -rf behavior
- CLI and programmatic usage
- Windows reliability strategies
- Promise and sync APIs
- Multiple removal implementations